Iraq's parliament voted on Saturday to cut its summer holiday by a month to give lawmakers more time to pass a package of laws Washington views as key to fostering national reconciliation between Iraq's warring sects.
The move is likely to be welcomed by the United States, although the draft laws have yet to be presented to parliament for debate. Analysts say the Shia, Kurd and Sunni Arab political blocs have shown little willingness to compromise on key issues.
Lawmakers said the current session of parliament would be extended until the end of July. But parliamentary committees dealing with the draft laws would not take any summer break, one legislator said.
"So far parliament has received nothing from the committees. I doubt that any of these committees will deliver something to parliament this month," said Izzalddin al-Dawla, a member of the Sunni Accordance Front, the biggest Sunni Arab bloc.
A draft de-Baathification law has been agreed by Maliki and President Jalal Talabani and sent to cabinet for debate. But it faces stiff opposition from within the ruling Shi'ite Alliance and the committee tasked with purging Baathists from government.
A law setting a date for provincial elections has also yet to be agreed by cabinet. Sunni Arabs boycotted regional polls in 2005 and are thus under-represented in provincial councils.
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